Milestones

AWARDED . An $8.1 million settlement to SHUJI NAKAMURA , 50, engineer who helped Nichia Corp. develop the blue light-emitting diode (LED), a semiconductor device used in everything from cell phones to traffic lights; by Tokyo's High Court; in Tokyo. Piqued by a $200 bonus for what Nichia claimed was merely a contribution to a team project, Nakamura sued his former employer in 2001, seeking a greater share of the profits from its LED patents and winning $194 million from a district judge. Although that decision was overturned, the $8 million payout, which Nakamura reluctantly accepted, marks the largest-ever award to a...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!